Notorious convicted rapist Larry Murphy is back in Dublin, it's been claimed

His last known sighting was in London when he was tracked down and photographed drinking in a pub with a female friend.

Notorious convicted rapist Larry Murphy has returned to Ireland and has been spending time with members of the Roma community in Dublin, it's been claimed.

The suspected serial killer, known as the Beast of Baltinglass, has reportedly moved back from the UK and was allegedly spotted in Tallaght in recent weeks.

Murphy, who is one of the country’s most prolific sexual offenders, is understood to have been in the Springfield area over the festive period and was at one stage involved in a verbal spat with the occupants of a house there.

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The 50-year-old, who has not been seen on Irish soil since being released from Arbour Hill Prison in August 2010, is understood to be hanging around with members of the Roma community.

His last known sighting was in London when he was tracked down and photographed drinking in a pub with a female friend.

It’s understood he was using a number of aliases while living there.

He has been working on and off as a carpenter since his release from prison.

Murphy, who brutally raped a woman and locked her in the boot of his car, has been spotted in Holland and England since his release.

In 2015, he was living in the borough of Waltham Forest among the Asian community in order to not get recognised.

A source said: “Murphy appears to have learned that he has to live within certain communities in order to not get recognised.

“There are local reports in Tallaght that he was seen Springfield before Christmas.

“It’s understood that he’s hanging around with members of the Roma community.

“It’s believed he was spotted shouting at a house in the area at someone to ‘Get the f**k out of the house.’

“Whether he is still in the area is anyone’s guess.”

The source added: “If he is back in Dublin he will want to stay under the radar at any cost. He knows that if just one person recognises him and his cover is blown that he will have to leave the country again.

“When he was released from prison six years ago he wasn’t able to settle anywhere due to the fact he was recognised and run out of any area he went to.

“When he lived in the borough of Waltham Forest in London, he lived in an area that had a massive Asian community where hardly any Irish lived.

“He lived in Amsterdam for a while but mostly lived in London."

Murphy has been linked to the disappearance of several young women in Ireland.

He walked free from prison after serving 10 years of a 15-year sentence for a brutal sex attack and attempted murder of a woman in the Wicklow Mountains.

He had stalked his then 28-year-old victim for a month before raping and beating her. He tried to smother her but was scared off by two hunters.

He is also a suspect in the case of missing women Annie McCarrick, 26, and 19-year-old Deirdre Jacob.